Salute (2012)

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To many, Peter Norman is best known as a seemingly unwitting participant in a historic photograph: during the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City, Africa-American runners Tommie Smith and John Carlos, who had respectively won the Gold and Bronze medals in the 200 Meter Dash, raised their fists during… More To many, Peter Norman is best known as a seemingly unwitting participant in a historic photograph: during the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City, Africa-American runners Tommie Smith and John Carlos, who had respectively won the Gold and Bronze medals in the 200 Meter Dash, raised their fists during the medal presentation ceremony in what was recognized as the "Black Power Salute" as Australian Norman, who had won the silver medal, stood beside them. What few noticed is that Norman wore a patch identifying himself as a member of the Olympic Project For Human Rights on his warm-up suit, and he publicly and privately supported Smith and Carlos during what became a controversial moment in a year of world-wide political turmoil. Filmmaker Matt Norman, who is Peter Norman's nephew, offers a profile of Norman, his role in Smith and Carlos's famous moment of protest, and his life as an athlete and activist in the documentary Salute. The film also examines the events that led up to the 1968 Mexico City Olympics -- political assassinations in America, rioting in Mexico, the adoption of civil rights legislation in Australia -- and how the athletes at the games responded. Salute received its world premiere at the 2008 Sydney Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi